Lost
by Mrs. Carnegie
Summary: Geoff is navigating whil Kate is driving their car. With Geoff's navigation skills, of course they get lost. And then there's car trouble as well..
1. Chapter 1

Hi all,

This is my first fanfic on . English is not my first language, so bear with me ;-). Your reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated..

Of course I don't own Flying Doctors, etc.

Enjoy!

Mrs. C.

**Lost**

"I, eh, think we should have taken the other road."

Geoff clumsily tried to fold the large, crumpled road map to a more manageable format. He and Kate had been on a clinic run together, by car. The Nomad was in for emergency maintenance and since the clinic run location, at the Henderson's, was only a three hours drive, they had decided to continue the clinic run as planned initially. Everything had run smoothly, as always when he worked with Kate. And now they were on their way back home, to Coopers Crossing, where they would probably go their separate ways again. He still was not sure how to tell her that he liked her. No, loved her, he admitted to himself. But he simply did not know how she felt about him. The few times they had kissed had only made him realize how much he loved her, wanted her. But every time it had happened, Kate had had gone back into her shell more quickly than lightning, frightened by the passion they had shared only briefly. In the weeks that followed, she would avoid him at all cost, and barely speak to him. He often wondered what caused her strange behaviour. Maybe she did not like him at all; maybe she just tried to be nice to him because they had been forced into a working relationship, or worse, because she felt sorry for him.

He sighed and tried to focus on the road map in front of him. He had never been very good at navigating, but he would never admit it, especially not to Kate. He looked outside, trying to find any reference points that might come in handy in determining their location. But he saw nothing but the red and yellow desert, occasionally decorated with pale-green Spinifex. He stared at the map, frustrated in more ways than one.

"Let me see.." Kate stopped the burgundy RFDS station car and reached over for him to hand her the map.

"Why? Do you think you know better?" Geoff protested, but lamely handed her the map. Kate looked at the map, trying to find out where they were. Ever since they had left the Henderson's, she had had to rely on Geoff's navigation skills that were, to put it nicely, not very well developed. She would have preferred to navigate herself, but Geoff had felt very tired after the clinic run and had asked her to drive the first part of their trip back to Coopers Crossing. He had looked at her with his amazingly blue eyes and she had not been able to refuse him, something she extremely regretted now.

"Do you at least have _any _idea where we are?"

Geoff had to admit that he had not and Kate sighed, more frustrated than she would ever admit to doctor Geoffrey G. Standish. She tried to remember where they had taken the wrong turn. After all, there were not so many roads to choose from in the Outback. So it must have happened at a crossing. She studied the map and followed the road from the Henderson's station. They had turned left at the crossing near Corindabella station. From there, they had driven about two hours to the north, in the direction of…She tried to think of the name of the property. In the direction of the Jackson property! Oh no! They had driven, for more than 100 kilometres, in the complete opposite direction of where they should have been heading!! Why hadn't Geoff kept an eye on their map?! Angrily, she turned to face Geoff.

"We have to go all the way back. We have been driving in the wrong direction for more than two hours!" she snapped, her eyes blazing with anger.

Tonight was the one night this week, she would have the house she shared with Chris to herself. She had planned a pleasant evening, with a nice hot shower, all kinds of lovely body cleansers and moisturizers, a full box of chocolates, and a soppy film to finish her night alone. Thanks to Geoff's fantastic navigating skills, that night was off, for at least another week. They would not be back in the Crossing before 10 pm. Kate felt anger and disappointment surge inside of her. Why was it that Geoff could not even read a stupid map? Why did she still put up with him? She should have seized the opportunity to be transferred to Western Australia when it was there. But for some reason, she could not do it at the time. She wanted to figure out her indefinable relationship with Geoff first. But so far, it was still indefinable. She did not know what he wanted from her. Sometimes, she thought he was interested in her, romantically. But most of the time, he seemed indifferent, just another doctor bossing her around, driving her up the wall with aggravation. She remembered they had kissed on a couple of occasions. She was not sure what had initiated their kissing, but she had been shocked by her body's response to him. How could she be so passionate when she was not even sure whether she liked him or not?

If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she liked him. He could be very nice and charming if he wanted to. She remembered the Surf Carnival DJ had set up a couple of months ago. Geoff had been so enthusiastic, even getting himself a genuine windsurfer to take part in the surfing race! She had been really sorry for him when DJ managed to beat him in the last seconds of the race. He had looked very attractive in his shorts, helmet and of course the nice smear of pink sun block on his nose. They had had a nice chat and a nice dinner at the pub that she had enjoyed very much. It had been one of those occasions when she had thought he was a really nice guy. But in the weeks that followed, he had gone back to his normal, professional way of telling her what to do.

Geoff felt guilty. He knew that they had taken the wrong turn because he had been distracted. He did not sleep very well lately and it had been a long day. He must have dozed off.

"Kate…."

"What?" She avoided looking at him, keeping her eyes on the road as she turned the car.

"Kate…I really am sorry…" He sounded sincere, and Kate could not help turning her face to him. She stared into his blue eyes.

"I am sorry, I am just so tired.. I think I fell asleep.." he admitted.

"Why? What is wrong with you?" Kate asked, trying to keep her distance. Geoff shrugged.

"I don't know, I just don't sleep very well lately." But he knew very well what caused this insomnia. She did. Or at least thoughts of her did. But he could not tell her that, not without making a fool of himself.

"Maybe you should talk to Chris," Kate suggested. "Maybe you have caught some virus."

"Yeah, I might do that," Geoff mumbled weakly, knowing full well he would not discuss this with Chris at all.

The sky slowly started to display a more varied colour pattern than the bright blue colour that dominated the sky during the day. Streaks of pink started to mingle with the blue, and orange and yellow colours appeared. Kate tried to concentrate on the road again. They had to drive for almost two hours before they were back at the crossing where they had taken the wrong turn.

"Victor Charlie Charlie to mobile 2." DJ's voice, still cheery after a long day at work, sounded through the speakers.

"Hi DJ, how are you doing?" Kate tried to match his liveliness, but she knew she could never be as exuberant as their radio operator.

"I am doing great," DJ answered. "But how are you and our fabulous doctor doing? We expected you back ages ago!"

Kate sighed.

"I know. We took the wrong turn, we just found out. Our ETA is 10 pm."

"10 pm?! Katie, your minds _must_ have been occupied elsewhere…" he teased her, knowing that she, although she would never admit it, had a soft spot for Geoff.

"Stop it DJ," Kate replied. "I am very tired and not in the mood for your silly jokes."

"Hey Doc!" DJ called. "Could you cheer her up? She really _is_ in a terrible mood.."

"Stop it DJ!," Geoff repeated. We _are_ very tired; it has been a long day."

"All right, all right! I am sorry, I will no longer try to perk you up anymore…I will see you when I see you…take care! Oh Doc," he added, "Paula asked me to ask you if she could clean your office."

"What? She stays out of my office!" Geoff shouted. "Tell her DJ, she is not going to clean my office!!"

"I'll try Doc, but you know what's she's like.. Bye for now! Victor Charlie Charlie, out."


	2. Chapter 2

Paula Patterson, Sam's younger sister, had been a radiographer at the Coopers Crossing hospital for about six months. Geoff had hired her, mainly because it was very hard to find a radiographer who was willing to spend his or her life in the remote outback of New South Wales, but also because she was Sam's sister. But occasionally, he regretted that decision. First he had thought she was afraid of him, so he had tried to make her feel more comfortable in his presence. However, she had taken that completely the wrong way. Since he had been nice to her, she had started behaving like a teenager around him. He sometimes felt Paula was interested in him. She followed him around the hospital, in town and tried to please him whenever she could. It annoyed him. Especially because Kate had urged him to be nice to Paula. Did Kate want him and Paula to get involved? She was way too young for him. How could Kate think he would be interested in a young girl like Paula…he preferred a woman.. like Kate…

Bang! The loud noise startled Kate and she only just managed to keep the car on the road.

"What happened?" The unexpected movements of the car forced Geoff to stop daydreaming and he reached out to the dashboard to prevent himself from falling against the door of the car. Kate pushed the brakes and drove the car to the side of the road. The car came to a halt and Kate leaned against her seat, sighing deeply, relieved they were OK.

"What happened?" Geoff repeated, with a dazed look on his face.

"I think we have flat tyre," she answered, trying to find the courage to inspect the damage. But Geoff already opened the door and got out of the car. He walked around it, and then stopped at the rear of the car. After a closer inspection, he walked back to the driver's side of the car, where Kate was sitting in her seat sideways, her legs dangling out of the open door.

"We have a problem," Geoff concluded.

"Why?" Kate objected. "It's only a flat tyre; we have a spare one to replace it. What is the problem?"

"We only have one spare," Geoff explained, "and two flat tyres.."

Kate dropped her face into her hands. She was starting to feel more and more desperate. Having only one spare tyre for two flat ones, meant that someone had to bring out an extra spare. But it was getting close to 8 pm, and since nightfall would be there soon, no one in his right mind would get into a car and bring them a spare. They would have to wait till tomorrow.

"Well, just cut it in half," she replied in one last desperate attempt, knowing full well there was no other option than to wait till morning.

Geoff walked around the car and got in.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked.

"Call DJ," Kate sighed, "and then probably wait until tomorrow morning. Someone has to deliver an extra spare tyre and they can't do it now, it's getting dark within 30 minutes." "Oh," Geoff replied and then sighed. "Well, we'd better call DJ then." He picked up the radio.

"This is mobile 2 calling Victor Charlie Charlie."

"Victor Charlie Charlie receiving, G'day Doc! What's up?"

"DJ, we have a problem," Geoff explained. "We have two flat tyres and only one spare."

"Gee Doc, you really got yourselves into trouble! What happened?"

"Look," Geoff was getting impatient, "we don't know what happened, all right? All we know is we can't go anywhere right now. Can you help us in any way?"

"OK, ok, calm down!" DJ tried to ease Geoff. "Where exactly are you?"

"We are driving on the road from the Jackson's to the crossing at Corindabella, I think we are about 50 kilometres from that crossing," Kate added, determined not to rely on Geoff's navigation skills again.

"OK," DJ replied, "let me have a look at the map…"

Geoff and Kate waited, both anxious to find out whether DJ would be able to help them. Finally, DJ called again.

"Victor Charlie Charlie calling Mobile 2."

"Yes, come in DJ, what's the news,"

"Doc, Kate, I am really sorry, but I can't find a hut or other place anywhere. Now, I don't want you to go wandering off, so you'll have to stay in the car. It is going to be a very cold night, so I think you have to check your supplies now. Kate, could you go and check the boot of the car? Are our normal emergency supplies there?" DJ knew they probably were, since the RFDS staff always took much care in being prepared for anything that might happen, but he wanted to be sure.

"OK," Kate got out of the car and opened the back door of the car.

"DJ," she called, "we have two blankets and four bottles of water. I think there's also a billy for tea, and we have a pack of crispbread. Oh, and a flashlight," she added.

"OK," DJ replied, "you should be fine then. But remember: don't leave the car!"

"Yes, thank you DJ, you've made your point," Geoff stated, not very amused by the fact he had to stay overnight in a car, in the middle of the Australian outback. Even Kate being there with him did not brighten up his mood. He realized that, though he had become accustomed to the outback life, there was still a hint of the former city boy lingering inside of him.

"OK, guys, good night then. Call me if something is wrong. I'll call you at first light, then we'll try to get someone out of there. Victor Charlie Charlie, signing off."

Kate got back into the car and turned to Geoff, checking out the gloomy look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "we have blankets, water and even something we can call food. Why the gloomy face?"

Geoff grimaced. "I know. It's just that I never imagined spending the night in a car." He _had_ imagined spending the night with Kate, but he would not tell her that. It was no use anyway.

"Well, neither have I," Kate replied, "but I guess we don't have any other option." She smiled at him, trying to brighten his mood. "Would you like some crisp bread?"

Geoff looked up, still disturbed.

"Crisp bread?" When he saw Kate smiling at him, he resigned and accepted the fact that they would not be back home until tomorrow morning.

"Yeah, all right, I'll have some crisp bread.."

"I'll get some for you.." Kate got out of the car and opened the boot. She took the blankets, the pack of crisp bread and one of the water bottles. When she walked back to the front of the car, she noticed the sun was almost gone. It would be a cold night.

"It's getting cold," she shivered, and handed Geoff one of the blankets. "There, you might need this one." Geoff stared at the blanket, but gladly accepted. He knew the Outback nights could be very cold. Kate wrapped herself into her own blanket, trying to stay warm as the night would get colder. Geoff looked at her, and could not help laughing.

"You look a lot like a mummy," he smiled.

"Well," Kate replied, wrapping herself even deeper into the blanket, "I'd rather be a warm mummy than a cold doctor!"

"A cold doctor eh," Geoff hesitated. He felt unsure. Did she really think he was a cold person? Lately, he had put in a lot of effort to open up to her. What if she had not noticed? He was afraid she did not like him at all. "Do you think I am a cold person, Kate?" Despite his insecurity, he loved speaking her name. He wanted to find out what she actually thought of him.

"What?" Kate asked, unaware of what she had actually said to him. "A cold person, why?" She opened the pack of crisp bread and handed him some.

"Thanks. I don't know," Geoff casually replied, "maybe because I don't always show others how I feel.." He bit the crisp bread.

Kate put the pack away and opened the bottle of water. She stared at him with a puzzled look.

"What are we talking about?"

Geoff, realizing Kate had not been listening to anything he said, gave up. "Nothing, never mind. Could you pass me that bottle?" He felt frustrated. Did she mean what she said? Or was it just a remark he attached too much value to. He did not know, and decided not to say anything to Kate, afraid they might have another row.

Kate sat back in her seat, the blanket still wrapped around her. It felt strange being so close to Geoff. Of course she was used to being near him, during work, in the Nomad, in the car. But somehow it felt different, like the darkness outside made it feel more intimate, more personal to be near him. She sighed, and closed her eyes, hoping she would fall asleep soon.

Geoff looked at Kate, snuggled deep into her blanket. Her eyes were closed, her face calm. He admired the way she handled being stuck out there. Though she had been mad at him for sending them into the wrong direction, she had accepted DJ's verdict immediately. He knew a lot of women back in Sydney, who would kick up a big row when put in a situation like this. But not Kate, he thought. She would just try to sleep like nothing happened. He laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" Kate asked sleepily, rubbing her face with her hand. She yawned.

"Nothing," Geoff replied, "I just thought of some women I knew in Sydney. They would not be amused being stuck out here."

"I bet they would not." She hesitated. "Would Barbara have minded?"

Geoff was shocked, unprepared for her question.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Kate apologized, seeing the look in his eyes. Geoff came to his senses.

"No, please don't apologize; I just did not expect a question like that." He sat back in his seat and stared into the distance.

"I think she would have minded. She was a city girl, like I was a city boy. I think the only times we ever saw the Outback, was on holidays. And even then we only saw the main tourist attractions."

"Do you still miss her?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I do," Geoff replied. "But it feels different now. I have changed so much since I moved to Coopers Crossing. I can accept everything that happened in Sydney now, the way we lived, her illness and death. We led two different lives. I was busy working on my career; she was busy working on hers. We had a different kind of marriage than I would prefer now." He did not dare looking at Kate. "I still find it very hard to take I did not see her symptoms, but I don't blame myself anymore. It just happened."

Geoff looked at Kate. She was sitting there, all curled up in her seat, watching him expectantly. In the dark, he could barely see her face, but he could still see a glimpse of her eyes. She was smiling at him. Why did she have to be so understanding? Or so beautiful, he thought. He could not help whispering her name.

"Kate…"

She did not say anything as he slowly turned his upper body towards her. His face was very close to hers now, he could feel the warmth of her body against his cold skin. Gently, he kissed her lips, amazed by their softness. Quietly, he withdrew and sat back in his seat again. He watched her as she took a deep breath.

"What was that for?" she asked, not quite sure whether she should be angry or pleased.

Geoff's kiss reminded her of the night they had kissed at the base. Everyone had left early, only she and Geoff were finishing up some work.

For a while, she had known that she liked Geoff. He was kind, good-looking and caring to his patients and colleagues. Occasionally, she fantasized about him, thinking about what it would be like being involved with him. But every time, she was embarrassed that she thought of him that way. She was certain that he was not interested in her at all. Why would he be interested in a simple country nurse? Not when he was used to glamorous city women!

During that night at the base, Geoff walked up to her and started a conversation and suddenly a strange tension had filled the air. She had felt vulnerable and insecure, but also anxious to be with him. When he asked her whether she had any plans for the evening, she had known she'd better leave. She would not torture herself by staying close to him. It was no use anyway.

She walked around her desk and passed Geoff on her way to the door. At that moment, their bodies touched, only very briefly, and Kate took a deep breath. She could hear Geoff holding his breath, but did not want to look at him, afraid of what he would read in her eyes.

Suddenly Geoff took her arm, not wanting her to leave. She turned to look at him, to make him release her. But when she looked into his eyes, she knew it was too late. She saw the hesitation in his eyes, but then he pulled her to him and started kissing her passionately. She could do nothing but return his kiss as she felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her even closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly. She felt overwhelmed by their passion.

Abruptly, she gasped for breath and then she realized what was happening. Since he would never be interested in a long term relationship, this would lead to a one night stand. And if there was one thing Kate was not interested in, it would be a one night stand. Not in a town like Coopers Crossing, where a girl's reputation was extremely important. She stepped back and Geoff could do nothing but release her. She had run away from the base, away from him.

In the car, Geoff watched the emotions on Kate's face.

"What was that for?" she asked, referring to his kiss.

"I don't know," he replied, unsure if he should tell her the truth. Not sure of what exactly he should tell her, he decided to keep the truth to himself. "I guess I just wanted to kiss you good night."

"Oh.." Kate did not know what to think of his confession. She still was not sure if she should be angry with him or not. She wrapped herself deeper into her blanket.

"Why would you want to do that for?" she then asked, looking at him curiously and then decided to drop the subject. She was too tired for this kind of conversation.

"Good night to you too," she told him, and closed her eyes, hoping she would fall asleep soon.

"Don't I get a good night kiss?" Geoff asked her and she could hear him laughing softly. She opened her eyes and tried to distinguish his face in the darkness around them.

"Why, are you having trouble sleeping?" she joked. "I am not sure if a good night kiss from me will solve your problems."

Geoff shrugged, unsure if he had gone too far. "Well," he suggested, "we could try, just to be sure."

"All right, all right, doctor. Just one moment. Sit back and put your blanket around your body, you are getting cold," she ordered him, wanting him to keep his mouth shut. If this was the only way she would be able to catch some sleep, then she would just have to kiss him good night. She felt oddly excited at the thought of kissing him before they were going to sleep.

"Yes, nurse," he light-heartedly obliged, and waited for his good night kiss. He could feel her body moving closer until he actually felt the warmth that emanated from it. Suddenly he felt her lips on his and could not help but return her kiss. He dropped his blanket and reached out for her face. His hands softly caressed her while their kiss deepened.


	3. Chapter 3

The moment her lips touched his, Kate knew kissing him good night was a big mistake. She felt her desire for him surge inside her body. When she felt his soft hands on her face, she knew they had to stop. Slowly, she pulled back and stared at him.

"What's going on between us?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Geoff softly replied, slowly touching her hair. "But I am glad you noticed _something_ is going on."

"This is not a good idea," Kate stated.

"Why not?" Geoff took his chance to finally bring up the discussion they had dreaded for so long. "We are two adults, we are both single," he added.

Kate sat back in her seat and sighed. "It would be way too complicated…" She did not dare looking at him.

"Why?" Geoff asked, not ready to drop the subject just yet. "Why do you think it would be complicated, Kate?"

"Because we work together! You are my boss! And besides, I am just an ordinary country nurse. I am sure you are used to much more glamorous women." She stared out of the window, into the darkness of the outback night.

Geoff laughed softly. "Kate, you are a wonderful woman! A wonderful person! I never met anyone like you in my life! Do you really think I still miss Sydney? I don't, not anymore. I love being a country doctor and I love living in Coopers Crossing. I don't want to go back to Sydney, or Melbourne, or any big city, for that matter! And us working together..I think we should be OK. We are two adults, we can work it out."

"And what about the town?" Kate protested. "I don't want to be the subject of all kinds of gossip."

"Kate, you know as well as I do that they'll find something to talk about if they want to. It might as well be something positive, like you and me being involved."

"Involved, huh?" Kate stared at her feet. There it was: he just wanted some affair, nothing serious at all. "I don't know," she replied. "I would not know how to behave around you after we break up."

"Breaking up?" Geoff exclaimed. "Who's talking about breaking up? We are not even _in_ a relationship. Why would I want to break up? I don't have plans to break up anything!" He almost shouted.

"But what if it doesn't work out?" Kate nearly cried now, tears burning in her eyes. She knew she would never leave him; she loved him too much. But what if he got bored after a while? One of them would have to leave Coopers Crossing and she was not sure who it would have to be. Surely, she had lived in the Crossing most of her life, but Geoff felt very much at home as well in the small town of Coopers Crossing. She just did not know what to do: her heart wanted nothing more than to be with him and stay with him forever, but her mind was not so sure whether her dream would ever become reality.

"Katie, sweetheart, let's just wait and see whether it works out or not. No one knows what the future brings, but I assure you I intend to make this work!" Geoff wrapped his hands around her shoulders and pulled her towards him until she faced him. He saw tears welling up in her eyes. He did not really understand why she was crying, but he tried to comfort her. He could not pull her towards him, the brake was between them, so he softly touched her hair and her face.

Kate took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Maybe he really did want to make an effort. She still was not sure, but also realised her own doubts caused that feeling. She wanted nothing more than being with Geoff, but still feared the power of gossip in a district like Coopers Crossing. Of course, Geoff was right about one thing: there always would be something to gossip about, but having grown up in a town like Coopers Crossing, Kate fully realised the impact gossip could have on people's lives.

Geoff felt she was hesitating.

"Kate, let's have some sleep now and talk about it in the morning," he suggested. He kissed her one last time. Then he tried to wrap himself into his blanket.

"All right," Kate replied. "Good night Geoff."

"Good night Katie"

Geoff tried to fall asleep, but it was too cold. They only had one blanket each, though he could have used at least three in temperatures like this. He thought about their earlier conversation.

Had he let the moment slip away by suggesting they should get some sleep? Knowing Kate for a while now, he knew she could have changed her mind about them completely by morning. But on the other hand, he knew he could not remove the doubts she had in her mind, the only one who could was Kate herself. He resolved to do everything he could to show her how he felt about her. It would be easier now that he knew she felt the same way. He now understood the only reason she would want to create a distance between them, was her own insecurity and her fears of what people in Coopers Crossing might say.

He grinned at the thought. He could only imagine the single men in Coopers Crossing would envy him. Kate was one of the most eligible single women in town, but extremely careful of avoiding damage to her reputation. He knew a lot of guys would love to take her out, but somehow she never seemed interested. And now he knew why. He could not help smiling. She was interested in him! At that happy thought, he finally fell asleep.

Unaware of Geoff's thoughts, Kate stared into the darkness in front of her. So they had admitted something was going on between them. She knew how she felt about Geoff; she finally dared to admit to herself that she loved him. But she still was not sure about him. Of course he had assured her he wanted to be in a relationship with her, but Kate still felt unsure about this. What if he did not love her? Would she mean more to him than an innocent pastime in a town where nothing ever happened?

At the same time, Geoff was not the type to play tricks on women. She smiled to herself. He had to be the most reliable guy she ever met! If he was even more reliable, he would be boring! Kate thought how strange is was, that she felt so attracted to a man who was both slouchy and attractive, but definitely not handsome in the classical way. She remembered how she had liked Tom Callaghan once. Now she had met Geoff, she knew she probably had been just interested in a relationship at the time. The feelings she had had for Tom were nothing compared to how she felt about Geoff. She decided just to wait and see how their relationship would evolve. At that thought, she finally fell asleep.

When Geoff Standish woke up, he was chilled to the bone. His body was stiff and he couldn't move. He looked outside the car and saw the sun was about to rise. Good, that would mean the temperature would be much more comfortable very soon. He turned his head to find out if Kate was awake, but was shocked to find her seat was empty. Where could she be? She wouldn't just wander off in the outback, especially not in the dark! It was then that he noticed the smell of a fire. He got out of the car and saw Kate, 15 meters away from the car, stirring up a fire. She was still wrapped in her blanket and next to her was a billy for tea. Tea! That was an excellent idea!

He walked to the fire and sat down next to Kate.

"Good morning," he mumbled, having never been a morning person. He hesitated if should call her something like 'darling', but got cold feet.

"Morning Geoff," Kate replied. "I'm making some tea, would you like some?"

"Yeah, that would be great. How long have you been out here for?"

"Just a couple of hours," she replied while pouring the tea. "I was so cold I kept waking up, so I decided making a fire would be better than staying in the car." She handed Geoff one of the tea-filled cups.

"Thanks." Geoff wrapped his hands around it, trying to warm his body.

"I don't think I'll ever get warm again," he complained.

"Come on doctor," Kate teased him. "At least you had some sleep! I have been sitting out here for hours, listening to your snoring!"

"I do not snore!" Geoff protested. Kate smiled.

"Yes you do!" She grinned.

"Come and sit closer to the fire," she invited him. "Maybe you'll warm up!"

He got up and moved closer to her.

"You know what would really be nice and warm?" he asked Kate.

"What?"

"Why don't we put one blanket on the ground, lie down on it together and put the other one on top of us," Geoff suggested.

Kate stared at him, trying to find ulterior motives in his eyes. There were none. He really just wanted them to be nice and warm till the auxiliary forces would arrive.

"All right," she said, and got up to spread her blanket on the ground, close to the fire. She then lay down on it.

"Come on, hurry up! I'm getting cold!" she urged Geoff to lie down next to her. Geoff took his blanket and lay down next to Kate. He carefully put his blanket around them, so they would stay warm.

He put his arm around her and Kate's head was resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, very aware of his body touching hers. She revelled in the feelings it evoked. She wanted to be closer to him. She turned and cuddled up to him, Geoff wrapping his other arm around her as well.

"When do you think Emma will be here?" he asked her, hoping it would not be any time soon.

"I don't know, it's about 5.30 now, I guess she won't be here till 9. It's about 2 hours from here."

"Good," Geoff replied, and held her closer. "I don't mind lying here with you at all.."

Kate shivered. "I am so cold," she muttered. Geoff slowly caressed her back, hoping she would get warmer.

"Mmmm.., that's nice," Kate sighed, a smile on her face. "Please don't stop!"

Geoff grinned and continued caressing her body and then turned his face to look at her.

Their lips met softly, but it wasn't long before they each moved to deepen the contact. Instinctively, Kate moved closer and tightened her arms around him, and she felt her heart soar when Geoff did the same. The first tentative touch of his tongue against hers sent a shiver down her spine, and Kate heard herself moan. She felt his warm body against hers and suddenly, what had started as a silly joke had become dead serious. She felt his hand slip under her blue cardigan, on the thin fabric of her uniform. His hand left a hot trace on the skin beneath the fabric. She hesitated. Was this what she wanted?

"Geoff?"

"Mmmm?" He continued caressing her body and kissing her face.

"Geoff, I don't think this is a wise thing to do."

"I am tired of being wise, Kate," Geoff replied, kissing her neck.

"Me too, but I don't want this to happen in the heat of the moment, I have to think about this." Kate hated herself.

Geoff pulled back and looked into her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, unsure whether he had said or done something that he shouldn't have.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong! I just need to think about what I really want," Kate tried to explain, but she knew it sounded like a lame excuse.

Geoff did not know what to say. This was what he had feared the previous night: Kate returning in her warm and safe shell, even though he had tried to convince her his feelings for her were sincere.

Kate had fallen onto her back, tears welling up in her eyes. Why couldn't she just play it by ear for once? She did not know why she felt so insecure. The magic of the moment had been broken.


	4. Chapter 4

"Victor Charlie Charlie calling mobile 2," DJ's voice interrupted the silence that had fallen upon Geoff and Kate. Both were lost their own private thoughts, not knowing what to say to each other. Kate suppressed the urge to run away from Geoff as fast as she could. Though the sun was rising slowly, it was way too dangerous to run wild into the outback. And besides, she was still feeling very cold. She silently begged Emma to get to them as soon as possible. Anything to get away from there.

As soon as she heard DJ's voice, she got up and ran to the car. Geoff turned and stared at her disappearing back. Why was she so scared? He was a normal guy, right? Not some creepy womaniser. Not a George Baxter, he thought. He would do anything for her, why couldn't she see that? And if she did see it, then why couldn't she accept it, enjoy it? He knew she had feelings for him, especially after last night. He wanted nothing more than give in to his feelings for Kate. Spend time with her, kiss her, and, yes, make love to her, he admitted to himself. He longed for her. He closed his eyes and waited for Kate to return.

"Good morning DJ!" Kate tried to be cheery, but she felt hopeless.

"Katie!" DJ had never heard of getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Any side would do, if it was up to him.

"How are you guys doing? Did you sleep well? Must have been nice and warm and cosy," he hinted.

"Shut up DJ," Kate interrupted him. "I am freezing to death and I am hungry. When will Emma be here?"

"Eh, right," DJ hesitated. He hated bad news. "Katie, Emma won't be arriving for a while. She and Sam have had some trouble at the property. Some sheep escaped and you know who would be interested in some extra, unmarked sheep…"

"George Baxter." Kate sighed. "So when will she be here?"

"She won't."

"What?" Kate screamed, so loud even Geoff could hear it. He got up and slowly walked to the car. What was happening?

"What do you mean she's not coming?" Kate demanded to know. "We have been out here all night! I need a shower and a nice warm bed. And lots of food," she added.

"We are sending Jack to pick you up," DJ explained. "Close the car, bring in the keys and Emma will tow it back into the Crossing first thing tomorrow."

"Great," Kate muttered. "And when do you think Jack will be here?"

"I don't know Katie," DJ joked, "after all he is our local copper, so he'll probably take the speeding limits into account. And who knows what he'll come across with 'till he gets there."

"Come on DJ," Kate was becoming impatient now. "Don't mess with me, when will he be here?"

"All right, all right, hold your horses! I think his ETA is 10 am."

"What? That means we have to wait for more than 5 hours!"

"Look, Kate, it's the best I can do, OK?" Now DJ was becoming impatient as well.

"Yeah, all right. We'll just wait till he gets here. Bye DJ, mobile 2, out."

Kate closed the door of the car and leaned against it.

"Great," she sighed. "That's all we need."

"What's wrong?" Geoff asked, walking towards her.

"Emma's not coming and Jack won't be here till 10."

"What? Do we have to wait that long?" Geoff sounded like he could not wait to be away from Kate.

"Hey, don't act like it's my fault, I am not enjoying this either," Kate protested.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry," Geoff stared at his feet. Then he looked up.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked Kate.

"I haven't got the slightest idea, so if you have any suggestions, be my guest," Kate snapped.

Geoff could think of many things to do during the time they had to wait for Jack, but he did not dare suggest any of them. He knew Kate would not be amused by them.

The sun was rising and so was the temperature. It was not very warm yet, but Kate could tell it would be another hot day. Fortunately, with a bit of luck, they would be back in the Crossing by noon. She walked to the back of the car and checked their supplies. There were two and a half bottles of water left. Not many, considering the expected heat, but it would have to do. She checked the box for any food, but there was only half the pack of crisp bread they opened the night before. Not exactly the nice hot breakfast she longed for. Defeated, she grabbed the pack of crisp bread and one of the water bottles. She walked back to the front of the car, where Geoff was still waiting.

"Do you want to come and sit by the fire while it's still burning? I also have some breakfast for you. Not much, but I suppose it's better than nothing at all."

"All right." Geoff followed Kate to the fire, where their blankets were piled up the way the left them earlier. Kate sat down, unfolded her blanket and put it around her shoulders.

Geoff followed her example, disappointed there would be no recurrence of the way they lay together earlier.

Kate handed him a piece of crisp bread. "There you go. It's not exactly Nancy's hot breakfast, but maybe she'll make some for you for lunch."

Geoff smiled and took the food. "I hope so! I would love some scrambled eggs and sausages!"

"Don't say it out loud!" Kate warned him. "It will only make you hungrier!"

Geoff laughed out loud, knowing he was hungry anyway, but not for food. "I think we will be fine! As long as Jack does arrive at 10!"

Kate smiled and fell onto her back, staring at the strange colours appearing in the sky. Normally, she would be in bed at this time of day. She thought about Geoff. He was a nice bloke. Why couldn't she just go with the flow and see where their relationship would take her? She had another bite of crisp bread.

Geoff sat next to her, eating his breakfast. He looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. He could tell she was thinking about him, and he feared he knew in which direction her thoughts were heading. The wrong direction, if it was up to him. Knowing Kate for a while now, he knew she was backing out once again. Every time they seemed to get closer, she got the jitters and backed out. If only he knew how he could change that routine of hers. If only he knew how. He sighed.

"What's the matter?" Kate asked, dreading for his answer. She took another bite of her crisp bread, pretending she wasn't the least interested in his reply.

"Nothing."

He was just not up to this at the moment. He was hungry and still cold.

"Let's just wait till Jack gets here,' he added.

"There's not much we can do," Kate concluded. She was still feeling cold.

"Are you still cold?" she asked.

Geoff looked at her, wrapped in her blanket.

"Yes, I'm still freezing," he admitted.

"Then come and lie next to me," Kate invited him. "You can keep me warm…" she giggled. She desperately wanted to push away her insecurity and enjoy his company.

"Are you sure?" Geoff asked, not quite sure how to read her mixed signals.

"Yes," Kate admitted. "I just want you to know it's my stupid insecurity that's holding me back. I really want to be with you, but I just don't know how.."

She sighed and opened her blanket, so he could lie next to her. Geoff sat down and put his blanket around them. He wrapped is arm around her and Kate put her head on his shoulder and her arm around his waist. She felt his warmth and revelled in it.

"Why are you feeling insecure?" he asked her. "I already told you have no intentions to go back to the city."

"I know that, I just can't help it." She hesitated. "I….I'm just not a person who jumps into relationships easily."

Geoff grinned. "Really? Who'd have thought!" he joked.

"It's not funny Geoff," she protested. "I'm serious. I know you think I exaggerate the reputation thing, but I'm the one who has to suffer all the gossip. They'll want to pat you on the back!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, maybe you are right." He stared at the sky.

"It's just that…," Kate hesitated again, unsure whether she should tell Geoff how she felt. "It's not how I imagined it."

"Imagined what?" Geoff did not have a clue what she was talking about.

"You know," Kate added, "life.."

"What are we talking about?" Geoff was completely lost by now.

Kate just could not tell him.

"Look, let's just drop it," she backed out.

"No, I don't just want to drop it," Geoff protested. "I want to get things out in the open once and for all."

"Well, I don't wanna talk about it," Kate stubbornly turned away from him. She got up and walked away from him, dragging her blanket along. She had wanted to tell him that she had always imagined getting married to the man she loved, instead of just moving in with him. She had been brought up in an old fashioned way, and just living together did not appeal to her. She wanted to marry the man she loved, start a family together and live happily ever after. But somehow Geoff Standish did not seem to fit in this picture. Though he had gotten used to the outback way of living, and even started enjoying it, he was unlike any other man Kate knew. And even though he had assured her he would not return to the big city anytime soon, she was not sure he would like to spend the rest of his life in a small town like Coopers Crossing. Also, Kate felt embarrassed bringing up the subject of marriage. She had no reason to believe Geoff would ever want to settle down, let alone getting married for the second time. After all, he had once told her he was not ready to commit to anyone again. As far as she knew, he had not changed his mind on that subject.

She shivered and put the blanket around her shoulders. She just stood there, staring at the beautiful colours of the sunrise, her back turned to Geoff.

She knew she loved him. But she was not sure how he felt about her. Of course, he had assured her she was the most wonderful person he ever met, but to Kate, that did not match loving another person. She desperately wanted to believe him, to be near him and yes, to touch him, but her mind just was not ready to surrender to her emotions. She hated herself for it, but could not prevent her reason taking over from her feelings. It was no use chasing rainbows.

Geoff sat on the cold desert soil, the cool morning air chasing away all warmth that had been there. His eyes followed Kate, walking away from him, until she stood still, about 50 meters away from him. She was a dark silhouette against the orange, yellow and pink colours of the rising morning sun.

He knew what was coming: Kate was cutting herself off again. Suddenly she was in a foul mood and turned away from him. He could tell by her headstrong attitude that the intimate atmosphere that had been there only moments ago, would not return anytime soon. He just could not understand her: one moment they were sharing their most intimate thoughts and feelings, and the next they were fighting again. And it was not the first time this happened either. It seemed to turn out more like a pattern of behaviour for them.

He felt angry with her. Why would she change her mind every time their relationship seemed to improve? They would enjoy each other's company, become closer and right at the moment Geoff expected their relationship to move on to the next level, Kate would back out, like she suddenly realized who she was actually getting closer to.

Geoff was sick and tired of this stupid game. He knew she was attracted to him, just like he was attracted to her. He could still remember the passionate kisses they had shared, like it had been yesterday. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted her. He loved her. Why couldn't she tell? Why would she walk away every time?

He got up, wrapped his cold blanket around him and walked up to Kate. He stood next to her, staring at the same gorgeous sunrise.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she snapped.

Geoff got impatient, but tried to control his temper. Another fight would not make it any better.

"Well, if nothing's wrong, we would be there, lying together nice and warm, kissing each other," he pointed to where they had been only ten minutes ago.

"Sure, just an innocent pastime, right?" she sarcastically remarked.

"Is that how you feel about it?" Geoff asked. "It means a lot more to me…"

"Why, what do you mean?" Kate asked, hesitantly. She turned her face and looked at him. Geoff didn't look back at her. He felt too vulnerable.

"It means everything to me," he timidly replied. "Those kisses we shared in the past…I can still recall those moments like it was yesterday."

Kate did not say a word. She could not forget those kisses either. She had wanted to rip the clothing from his body at those times. Though she had not given in to her desires, she still felt embarrassed by her thoughts of Geoff and her, sharing intimacies she had not shared with anyone in a very long time.

"I love you Kate," Geoff said, still avoiding her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" Kate couldn't believe she was hearing him say that. She slightly turned her face to look at him.

"I love you," Geoff repeated softly, still staring into the distance. He didn't know what to expect from her, but felt too insecure to face her.

"Sure," she shrugged evasively, folding her arms. He looked indifferent, just looking at some shrubs or something. Why would she believe him?

Of all possibilities, Geoff had never anticipated her response. He couldn't believe she was actually dismissing his deepest feelings and his declaration of love. Especially because he knew for certain, she felt the same way about him. Suddenly, the anger he felt before gained the upper hand. He turned to face her.

"Fine, if this is all you have to say, it's just fine by me. Just don't accuse me of never expressing my feelings to you again!" He almost yelled at her.

"I've been trying to explain to you that I am not leaving the Crossing and that I do love you. If that's not enough, I don't know what to do anymore." He started walking away from Kate, back to the car. He planned to just wait there until Jack arrived.

Kate watched Geoff disappear into the direction of the car. She couldn't believe he had just told her he loved her. That was everything she had wanted to hear for months! At the same time, she had feared hearing those words from him. It would mean she would have to act upon her own feelings as well. And to be frank, she was just scared to death. All these years, she had hidden her feelings towards him, pulled up a solid wall around her. And now she could see it crumbling down faster than she had ever imagined possible. She felt naked and extremely vulnerable. And at the same time, she felt guilty of behaving rudely towards him.

"Wait!"

Geoff halted, slowly turning around, not knowing what to expect. He watched her running towards him, the blanket dragging behind her.

She stood before him, her eyes filled with tears. Despite his anger towards her, he couldn't help himself en pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her when he felt her face close to his. He caressed her face, wiping away her tears.

"I am so sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to be so hard on you. It's just…" and she started crying again.

Geoff held her close to him, relieved she had come to him and apologized. For a moment, he had feared he had misjudged her feelings for him. That would have been more than he could bear. He caressed her back, waiting for her to calm down.

Geoff's caresses had a soothing effect on Kate, and slowly she started to feel better. She realized she owed Geoff an explanation. Without leaving his embrace, she lifted her face and looked into his eyes.

"Geoff, I am sorry," she apologized again. "It's just that…you make me feel very nervous. I want to be near you, but at the same time I want to run away as fast as I can.."

"Run away, why?" Geoff asked her, stunned by her words.

"I don't know..it's just that I have never felt anything like the feelings I have for you. And it scares me. When we are in the same room, I..I..just can't think anymore, my body takes over. And I just can't let that happen. I have to be in control. And the only way I can do that, is keeping a distance between us.." She started sobbing again.

Geoff started caressing her again, not to sure how to take her confession.

"Katie, why is it so important for you to be in control?" he hesitantly asked her.

Kate now started crying again and Geoff tried to calm her down.

"It's just that….you know…after my relationship with George, and the one with someone I met during nursing school in Broken Hill…"

Geoff tried to wipe away her tears, but is was of little use. Kate was still weeping.

"I just can't take to get hurt again…" and she sat down and put her face onto her knees, still crying. Geoff sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"But Katie, I already told you I don't want to hurt you," he said, not sure what she had not understood about him not leaving for the city and being in love with her.

"I love you, and I want to stay with you, here in Coopers Crossing. Don't you know that?"

"I do..," she sobbed, still not looking at him. "But for me, that's not enough."

"Why Kate, why isn't that enough?"

"It's just that..," she kept on weeping, "I always imagined myself marrying the man I love, and have lots of babies…and I understand you don't want that anymore.." she tried to wipe away her tears.

Geoff silently grinned. So there was the problem.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" he asked Kate, his eyes twinkling.

He took her by surprise. She looked up, her eyes red, her face smeared with dirt and tears.

"What?"

"Are you asking me to marry you?" he repeated.

She stared at him, for a moment. Then she started laughing at him, through her tears.

"Well, maybe I am," she hesitantly added, looking into his eyes.

"I do want to marry you," Geoff stated.

"You do?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Of course I do, I love you. Katie, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she cried, wiping the tears from her eyes, making her face even dirtier. She didn't care, she could not believe he asked her to marry him.

Geoff grinned. He was delighted she had finally come up with her problem, and he was even happier he had had the guts to turn it to his advantage. Kate had agreed to become his wife!

"Good," he stated, "I never expected you to propose! I thought you'd be way too old-fashioned to do a thing like that! He smiled at her, loving every minute he could tease her.

Kate would not let him get away with that. She was overjoyed and wanted to seize every opportunity to tease him back. She sat up and turned to him, she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him backwards, until he lay flat on his back. She sat on his stomach, facing him.

"Well," she smiled, "you are definitely right I'm an old fashioned girl.." She bent down and kissed him, very slowly. She felt him respond and could not believe her luck as his mouth took possession of her lips. Instinctively, Kate wrapped her arms around him, and she felt her heart soar when Geoff did the same. The first tentative touch of his tongue against hers sent a shiver down her spine, and Kate heard herself moan, even as she began to explore his mouth.

Geoff tightened his arms around her back and pulled her even closer towards him. He wanted to feel her body against his. He wanted her. He slowly caressed her back, enjoying the feeling of her hands exploring the muscles of his back and neck. God how he wanted her!

The kiss seemed to go on forever, yet at the same time, it ended all too soon. Kate pulled back first, her forehead resting against his as she gasped for air. "Well, since I am an old-fashioned girl, we can't do this anymore until we're married." She grinned at him, jumped up and ran away from him, chuckling while she watched him getting up.

"What?" he said, aghast, his hair dishevelled, his face dirty. He lay down on his elbows, staring at his laughing girlfriend.

Kate walked back to him, sat down next to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Just kidding…I couldn't do without this until we're married.." With a satisfied sigh she started kissing him again.


End file.
